The deadline for applications for YMCA Spirit of Team Watson Memorial Grant applications is 5 p.m. Friday.
The Spirit of Team Award seeks to support Olympic Peninsula youth leaders, teachers and those who are engaged in developing programs or projects for middle school students.
Interested applicants can find more information and the application on the Olympic Peninsula YMCA website at www.olympicpeninsula ymca.org/spiritofteamgrant.
Additionally, community members are invited to provide a donation to sustain the fund. In 2017, YMCA awarded $3,500 in grants for three projects.
Two new projects were at Stevens Middle School in Port Angeles, where teachers Dan Lieberman and Brenda Manson were awarded $2,500 in grant funds to promote team-building, encourage inclusion and foster better communication among eighth-grade students.
The YMCA of Jefferson County in Port Townsend was awarded support for a new program “Builders Club,” an afterschool service learning and team-building program for middle school students.
The grant was developed to honor the legacy of Sequim resident Dennis Watson who died of cancer in December 2016.
For nearly 20 years, he had served at the YMCA as a board member, volunteer and financial supporter.
Watson led the charge for the YMCA Middle School Program T.E.A.M. devoted to helping eighth-graders improve their communication and team-building skills, increase their leadership and grow as more compassionate individuals.
To learn more, see the Olympic Peninsula YMCA website at www.olympic peninsulaymca.org or by calling 360-452-9244.
